Rescue Geo 1

$59.94, Win 95, Win 3.1, Mac OS (CD-ROM)

Teaches: US geography facts, history, map reading

CTR Review

Geo 1 is an imaginary computer that has been invaded by viruses. It is up to you to get rid of them by correctly answering geography questions. After signing in (where you can select from two difficulty levels, English or Spanish, and one or two players), you are transferred inside the computer where you find six damaged data banks. These can only be repaired by answering geography questions. Topics correlate nicely to typical school curriculum with the following titles: The World in Spatial Terms, Physical Systems, Places and Regions, Human Systems, The Uses of Geography, and Environment and Society. This program contains a range of interesting information, and in addition to geography covers history and map reading. For example, the Physical Systems data bank addresses issues such as, "Why is the Midwest prone to tornadoes?" while Human Systems asks "Why are Iroquois homes made out of wood?" Fun features keep the program interesting�to get to the Physical Systems data bank, you have to solve a puzzle to get the door propped open. But the best feature is when a child needs help. For example, when asked for the distance between two cities, clicking the hint button displays a map legend that can be used to make an educated guess. Complaints are few for this easy-to-use, fun program. Although the age range says kindergarten through grade 12, we doubt that many kindergartners will be able to use the program. We'd also like to see more video illustrations, and speech would useful for nonreaders. Despite these drawbacks, in all, this is an excellent addition to any classroom software library.